The Snake and the Sorceress
by Dante-SonofSparda-EX21
Summary: Post Peace Walker/Pre Ground Zeroes/AU. November 23rd, 1974. Militaires Sans Frontières is in shambles since Paz's betrayal, some more than others. As others try to carry on with the plan of the day an unexpected force from another world sucks Mother Base and everyone in it. Big Boss wakes up in a world that is no longer his. What dangers await within a time compressed world?
1. Chapter I

**Author's note:**_ Hey! I know I've been slacking lately since I haven't updated High School of the Dead: Semper Fidelis. But please be patient...which is an understatement since you guys have been waiting since 2011 for that update. But it will come. Just like the dragons in Games of Thrones in South Park. They will come. I've worked with a friend of mine during my last days in the Marine Corps who helped me out of my writer's block stump. I got what I need to write for it, I just need to do it. Things has been a little stressful since I've been out of the Corps so I'm trying to get back on my feet. Now with this Metal Gear fanfiction however, I got inspired after the non stop playing of literally all the Metal Gears including the new Ground Zeroes in prepping for The Phantom Pain. Even as far as to roleplay as Big Boss on my spare time when my schedule allows me to. Anyhow, this is a crossover detailing the what if Big Boss and Mother Base got sucked into Final Fantasy VIII's world during the Time Compression. Give it a read and tell me what you think?_

**The Snake and the Sorceress**  
**1974 November 23rd, 0830**  
**Caribbean seas, Mother Base; Militaires Sans Frontières**  
**Big Boss**

The call of a seagull could be heard throughout a couple of the struts of the off-shore plant that the Militaires Sans Frontières affectionately call Mother Base. All but one heard the call of the seagulls, the commander of the MSF who leaned against the railing of one of the bridges connecting one strut to another. He was the legendary mercenary who took down The Boss and saved the world from nuclear disaster more then enough. He was Big Boss, who was formally known as Snake.

The one-eyed bearded soldier decked out in his tiger stripped cammies with his patches that on one shoulder held his former unit FOX and the other shoulder proudly shown his MSF allegiance. In his hand was a cassette player that played one the last diary logs of a double agent that Big Boss himself dealt with after she tried to hijack MSF's ace-in-the-hole, Metal Gear ZEKE. Paz Ortega Andrade was the woman who tricked everyone and tried to take out Big Boss but failed and was cast upon the heartless sea. Did she survive the fall? Or did the sea take her away? He didn't know. But all that was left of her was these tapes.

For the past day or two, Big Boss listened to everything Paz had recorded. Whether it be a spy log detailing MSF and their activities during the Peace Walker incident or her personal diary detailing her stay her. As he continued to listen he could feel someone closing in from behind. Using his good eye he looked over his shoulder and saw that it was none other then his second-in-command, Kazuhira "Kaz" Miller looking for Big Boss.

The blond pretty boy had his hair slicked back and wore these aviator sunglasses that you could swear he probably sleeps in them. His olive drab cammies contrasted with the yellow scarf he wore to represent MSF's colors including the MSF patches on his shoulders. Big Boss after confirming it was Kaz turned his direction to the ocean and reached for a cigar he kept in his cargo pocket.

"I heard about Paz's tapes..." Big Boss said as he lit his cigar and took a pull.

"Yeah. Why do you think she'd leave 'em behind? And that diary..." Kaz said as he pulled up beside Big Boss and propped his arms on the railing.

"Whatever it was, her commitment was wavering; that much is clear." Big Boss said as he reached down and press the stop button of Paz's 10th diary tape. He took another pull and shut his eyes remembering the days that she would parade around Mother Base with the biggest smile on her face. He remembered how she told Big Boss before they engaged in combat that this place would no longer be her heaven.

"So she was leaving clues? To help us...?" Kaz said as he kicked himself off of the railing and turned around to fully face Big Boss trying to answer the what if's in his head. But Big Boss knows better, it is what it is. There are no room left in the battlefield for what ifs.

"No way to know for sure," Big Boss said as he tossed his cigar overboard and faced Kaz, his blue eye grim as the sea beneath him. The tone he'd even speak with had a shiver to it as well. "And the ocean's not giving her back."

That answered Kaz's question, as well as shook him up a bit at the same time. Sighing he'd shake his head and rest his arms back on the railing. There was a good silence for two minutes before Big Boss ended the moment by turning to face him. "Since the morning report is finished, I'm going to take a quick catnap before afternoon chow. Keep me posted on the current status on that mission in Barranquilla."

"Didn't get enough sleep last night, Boss?" Kaz asked as he watched Big Boss walk towards the direction of the barracks. Big Boss stopped for a second to answer him.

"No, I couldn't fall asleep till at least four last night." He said rubbing his temples.

Kaz shuffled close and patted him on the shoulder, "Somethin' on your mind?" he asked with a smile.

Big Boss shook his head and returned the gesture. "Nah, but if something comes up you'll be the first to know." he said as he got in the jeep that was left at the end of the bridge. Starting the engine he drove off towards the strut that held the barracks where everyone resides in at Mother Base. As he drove crossing another bridge to the nearby strut that held their command center he inhaled the sea air feeling the breeze hit his bangs and his face. After minutes of driving he reached the strut that held the barracks, he parked the jeep in the parking lot and hopped out. Opening the door he was greeted by two MSF female soldiers who were just on their way out. Both popped at attention and saluted their commander after they put their covers on.

"Morning Boss!" they said simultaneously.

Big Boss saluted back and greeted back allowing them to walk past him. He could hear the chorus of giggling behind him as he continued his way up the stairway and through the hallways. Once he found his dorm he opened the door and bee lined to his rack. Not even caring about taking off his boots he quickly hopped onto the bed and took a deep breath before slowly falling asleep.

_x-Devil May Cry._


	2. Chapter II

**1974 November 23rd, 1230**  
**Caribbean seas, Mother Base; Militaires Sans Frontières**  
**Big Boss**

The sounds of chaos would shake up the counter where the picture of a much younger Naked Snake before he earned the title of Big Boss. The picture was taken back in 1964 during Operation Snake Eater by his former lover and ally, EVA. The rumble of a nearby explosion caused the picture to fall to the ground cracking the glass. What really woke up Big Boss was the sounds of gunfire and a roar. His eyes snapped open and he sprung up to action. Hopping off of his bed he shuffled over to the window and crack open the shades to see the image of a flying pterodactyl like creature zooming past his window letting out an ear piercing screech as it passed.

Big Boss cringed as he covered his ears and backed away from the window. "Argh, what the hell is that?!"

He thought to himself on how the last time he saw creatures like that was when he traveled to Isla Del Monstrua and fought against plenty of weird creatures that his child soldier Chico fantasized about. But something about this didn't sit right, it didn't seem like the same kind of creatures. Regardless he walked over to his counter and grabbed his Colt 1911 that laid idly on the desk. Sliding a loaded magazine and holstered it, next he reached to the side of the desk where his M16A1 that had an M203 attached to it. Picking it up he'd grab a loaded magazine and slam inside, racking the charging handle back he made that weapon condition 1. Making sure he had everything he needed charged outside of his room and ran down the hallways as fast as he could.

Making a quick turn he'd kick open the hallway door which led to the corridor. As he continued to sprint down the corridor which he noticed was empty but the noise of combat, screams, and animistic roars that would make the average man cringe was very present. His codec rang in the small bones of his right ear. Tapping his ear he'd recognize the sound of Kaz's voice any day.

"Snake!" Kaz screamed over the radio which was muffled over more gunfire and growls.

"Kaz! Where are you? I fall asleep for four hours and everything goes to shit? The hell is going on out there?!" Big Boss yells as he planted his back against the corner of a wall taking cover just in case any intruder or monster was in the area.

"You aren't going to believe this but just five minutes ago some huge vortex opened up in the sky and it was sucking some of our trucks, tanks, LAV's, you name it!" Kaz's brief was interrupted by him giving orders to direct the fireteam he was with. "Contact left! 300 meters, move up! Alligator prep the M60 and give some supporting fire to our left flank!"

From the background you can hear the MSF soldier yell out, "Aye sir!"

With that order followed, Kaz continued his sitrep. "While that was happening these monsters started flying out of the woodwork from the same vortex! They've been attacking us left and right. This makes Isla Del Monstruo looks like disneyland!"

"Do you think this could be Cipher's doing?" Big Boss asked as he peeked from behind the corner finding no one in sight.

"Don't know and don't care! Boss you need to get over here as fast as you can! Amanda is rounding up the rest of her Sandinistas in less then two mikes. We need all the help we can get!" Kaz replied as he returned with his own firepower.

"I'm on my way. Hold down the fort, Kaz!" Big Boss ended the codec call and took a quick look around the corridor he resided in. Noticing a short cut he went out the emergency door which led to a stairway. Instead of climbing the stairs he hopped off the ledge and leaped to the ventilation shafts. Sprinting on the shafts to get to the left side of the barracks he'd leap once more to the regular stairway and hop off of that landing on the ground with a roll. Shouldering his rifle he'd break into a dead sprint upon catching his footing.

Following the war cry of Amanda and her troops that pledged their allegiance to Big Boss he turned towards that area sprinting across the bridge. He could hear them loud and clear all the way from here. "Venceremos! "Libertad o' Muerte!"

Upon following the war cry he could spot everyone. Kaz, Amanda, and the troops. They were taking cover by a crashed 7 ton supply truck firing at the multitudes of monsters that tried to attack them. He slid between Kaz and Amanada getting a good look at both of them. Kaz's green fatigues were stained with spots of darker green and red blood while Amanda's brunette locks of hair and her yellow scarf was also stained with the same crossed colors of blood.

Amanda was in her black tank top with her yellow scarf tied around her neck in a similar fashion to Kaz. She wore the same olive drab trousers that Kaz wore but her blouse was tied around her waist for comfort found in her tank top. Her jade eyes looked over to see Big Boss next to her. "Snake!" she said.

"Kept you waiting huh?" Big Boss said with a grin as he took a peek over the trucks hood to see a rather large tree looking monster with a huge month and tentacles sprouting all over it's body. Not even caring about it's disgusting appearence he lit it up with full automatic fire from his M16A1. Kaz would look up and shake his head as he joined him in shooting at the beast.

"A little too long if you ask me, Boss!" Kaz said in jest. The blond would come back down to take cover as well as Big Boss when the creature spit out a corrosive acid at them.

"Amanda, where's Chico?" Big Boss asked as he changed his magazine.

"Chico ran off with some of my men to see if the non combatants were safe! They are going to take all non combatants to the R&D hanger where it's safe." Amanda said as she prepped a grenade and flung it over the truck towards the huge towering monster. Big Boss instantly thought of Cecile, Huey Emmerich, and Dr. Strangelove hoping that they didn't get caught in the crossfire. He got to admit and admire the young one's courage to put them before anything else.

"Kid's got heavy stones on him...at least he's taking all of that energy from Paz's betrayal and putting it to good use." Big Boss said regarding the 12 year old child soldier that is Amanda's younger brother. It took a while to finally accept him as a soldier and not a little brother. This was one of the actions right here by letting the boy go off this rescue job. Smiling at this he'd pop back after the grenade's explosion noticing the tree like monster fell to it's feet. he'd watch three wolf like monsters take it's place and charge at them. Popping them with a quick burst from his rifle they went down.

"If this keeps going on we might have to deploy ZEKE to take care of these bastards! We lost most of our AFV's and choppers. I'm not too sure about the status of our ships and cruisers." Kaz said to Big Boss as he propped back into cover.

Big Boss grunted at the thought of putting Metal Gear ZEKE in danger. Yes, it would wipe the floor with pretty much all these monsters but he doesn't want to put Mother Base's ace-in-the-hole in too much danger. Especially after he had to fight their own creation when Paz hijacked it and used it against Big boss. But his thoughts would be interrupted when sounds of the heavens and skies above them dividing. Amanda stood up and pointed up to the blackened skies.

"Look! The vortex is getting bigger!" She said. Everyone's attention drifted upwards to see the vortex indeed get bigger and start sucking in more trucks and now crates and large quadcons of raw materials that Mother Base salvage from the seafloor. But it didn't stop there, it actually started sucking the foundation of Mother Base itself. The ground beneath Big Boss, Kaz, Amanda, and the troops around them shook as they tried to catch their footing as unbelievably that the whole offshore hexagonal plant was being lifted into the air. Big Boss watched over the edge from the distance the water's below weren't there anymore and now they were in the sky.

Amanda screamed as she held onto the truck that they use for cover fearing that she was going to get sucked in as well.

"AMANDA!" Kaz yelled as he grabbed onto her and held onto the truck as well. "Boss! Hold on tight!"

Big Boss tried to shuffle over to them but all of a sudden a piece of debris from all the chaos hit him from the back of his head. Feeling his legs go limp he fell face first on the deck and his eye blinked and his vision was blurred. In the blur he watched a lighting bolt strike the satellite dish of their Command Center as well watching Kaz and Amanda holding onto to each other. Kaz seeing Big Boss on the ground he called out to him but Big Boss couldn't answer. He continued to watch the blond sunglasses wearing second in command crawl and grabbed onto his collar to hold onto him. Feeling himself being dragged by Kaz this would be interrupted by a strong gust pulling Big Boss away once more smacking him against the wall of the nearby building that they were close to. Once he landed again on his face, he was out. All he could see was darkness and the calling out of the name Snake and Boss.

_"There's only room for one Snake and one Boss..."_

The only words before he heard before he passed out that rang in his head was his mentor and spiritual mother The Boss's last words to him before he shot her dead with her own weapon. After that there was not a sound in Big Boss's head. Just nothing.


	3. Chapter III

**Author's note: **_Phew! Sorry for the wait fellas! I had major writer's block trying to come up with the opening scene. Once I was able to overcome what the first couple of dialogue would be, I couldn't stop writing what just kept flowing out. Inspiration and imagination is what keeps these ideas coming. I've read everyone's reviews and yes, chapters will be longer. They were made like that on purpose to separate the peaceful environment and then jump straight into chaos. As my stories usually are, chapters aren't really too short. Well here we go! I hope you enjoy this because I certainly did._

Wind as the first thing that touched the skin of the legendary mercenary as his heavy eyelid slowly fluttered open. He watched as a single white flower pedal landed on his forehead where maybe a couple of days ago his mentor's bandana used to be. Big Boss inhaled the scent of the wild flowers and trees, but there was something else that was in the air which was all too familiar. It was the smell of life's end, that final lingering aroma that wouldn't go away. He knew where he was, he can almost taste just how his blood tasted in his mouth the day The Boss punched him right across the cheek one last time.

"Tselinoyarsk…this is Rokovoj Bereg." Big Boss said as he sat up and took a good look around him. The large white colored flowery field surrounded by its leafless trees. The winds blew through just as strong as it did that fateful day ten years ago. White flower pedals danced in the air as Big Boss shook his head and rub his temples to get some sense back into where exactly he was.

'_It looks exactly the same as it did ten years ago…'_ Big Boss thought to himself as he reached up to his brown head of hair and picked up a flower pedal analyzing it.

"Sleeping in as usual? You haven't changed one bit, Jack." Said a very familiar voice that sent chills down the man's spine. With a sense of urgency he got up, drew his knife in one hand and his Colt M1911A1 in the other training it on whoever was behind him; whipping his body around to see a figure he never would have thought he'd see again.

"Boss?!" he whispered feeling his blood freeze as he took it all in.

The Boss was wearing the same exact thing she wore ten years ago indeed. The same form fitting white HALO jumpsuit that had been converted into a sneaking suit of the future. Still the jumpsuit was unzipped all the way down past her belly button revealing the snake like scar she bore indicating her hasty caesarean section. Her fine blond hair fell freely just past the nape of her neck. Just slightly above her left breast was where the kill shot Big Boss inflicted on her, the hole and everything was there. She still had a solemn look in those icy blue eyes of hers.

"What is this…how is thi-!?" Big Boss tried but couldn't utter a single syllable before The Boss interrupted his muttering with her own retort.

"You stopped wearing that bandana. From the looks of it you finally came to terms with your past haven't you, Jack?" She said with a faint smile before tilting her head to the side continuing on. "Or should I call you…Big Boss? That's what everyone is calling you now these days right?"

Shaking his head he refused to believe any of this was happening. Turning around, Big Boss kept his eyes down at the ground inwardly hoping that this would end. "This isn't happening, you aren't here."

"But it is, Jack. It's happening and you need to accept this as reality." The Boss said suddenly appearing right in front of him taking a step forward urging him to face her.

"I killed you…" Big Boss said as he raised his pistol at her once more and took a step back. The Boss nodded at this and grabbed the left side of her jumpsuit, pulling it just a bit so he can look at the clear gunshot wound to the heart that he inflicted on her.

"Yes you did. This is all happening, you aren't going crazy. I've returned to tell you a dire message that you need to hear." The Boss said dropping her arms to the side and staring into the eye of his startled protégé. She can't blame him; he has all the reason to act like this. It's not everyday someone you cared about that you had to kill comes back to talk to you. She put her foot forward to take a step before she could hear the click of his weapon's safety coming off.

"Don't come any closer!" Big Boss warned.

"You are going to hear what I have to tell you. One way or another…" She said never breaking eye contact with him. Before Big Boss could even pull the trigger on his target, she sprung on him like white on rice. He barely had time to register her lunging at him and planting that elbow into his diaphragm. Losing all the air in his body in one swift motion he could feel his hand that held his 1911 so tightly get looser as she grabbed his wrist, twisting it behind his back and using his force against him effectively slamming him down to the ground as fast as he could blink. The Boss stood over him looking down at her work and kicking his weapons away from him.

But Big Boss wasn't just going to lay there like the Snake he once was. Throwing his boot up he kicked at her midsection that she blocked which gave him the time to spring back to his feet. The Boss was quick but Big Boss was quicker.

She throw calculated knife hands towards his throat that he bobbed his head back to miss that throat chop. Stopping her hand from missing its target further she clutched her fist and brought it up attempting to knock his nose into place. But Big Boss weaved his head to the right narrowly missing that fist, so close that he could feel the wind's impact instead of the intended blow itself. She then brought her other hand up to try and connect a quick right hook to his jaw but that's when Big Boss went in for it. He swept under The Boss's right hook to counteract with a swing of his own, a full on clothesline right across her exposed chest and neck sending her feet off the ground, into the air, and her back slamming against the ground with a loud thud.

Big Boss quickly backed up and assumed his fighting stance keeping them hands up. "Getting a little rusty are we? Seems you didn't practice your CQC in the afterlife huh..."

The Boss cringed and rubbed her chest as she got up. As she dusted herself off she couldn't help herself but chuckle at this. "You'll need it a lot more then I will, Jack. I'm glad you didn't forget the basics of what we created together."

"How can I forget?" He said watching her every move, noting her shoulders more relaxed then before he too put his hands down and walked over to where his knife and sidearm was. Picking them up he'd holster them and let off a collective sigh. "Besides…CQC isn't the only thing I didn't forget."

"Oh? What else?" She asked as she crossed her arms over her chest and watched as him turn around to face her. The Boss knew her protégé more than anything; she watched his expression turn dark as he proceeded to answer her inquiry.

"I didn't forget that you betrayed me…" Big Boss said with venom dipped in every word uttered in that sentence. The Boss said nothing as she continued to stare at him as she continued with that same solemn glint in her eyes.

"Ten years ago in this very field, here in Rokovoj Bereg..." he paused as he jabbed his finger at her. "You put down your gun. In doing that, you rejected everything in her life up to that point…including me. You didn't abandon your country; no…you were a true Patriot Boss. But you did abandon everything that you were as a soldier. You chose to be used as a tool for a government...these Philosophers that they call themselves. Tch, and for what though? You chose to put down your gun…and sing for peace. Not even a guaranteed peace, an illusion if that."

The Boss watched as her protégé go on. It was almost heart breaking listening to him, she didn't know it but she felt a single tear crawl down her cheek watching what her beloved had turn into. Watching what he had become, just what had happened in these last ten years did she miss. She didn't raise Jack to kill her, like she told him that soldiers' skills aren't meant to be used against friends. But she certainly didn't endow him with knowledge for her will to be so misinterpreted like this. The disillusion was full on in effect and there was no stopping it, especially in the position she is placed in. All she could do right now is just stand here and watch him go on. It isn't her place to interfere with his thought process but the will of someone else much more sinister than anyone she ever met.

If there was a major contradiction in the one thing she taught Jack that the only enemy is was the times. The times are what define what an enemy was but in this case, now she has to revise that. She could only laugh at herself to ask if the existence of an absolute timeless enemy was true, well this would be it. But unfortunately this enemy has her by her non-existent balls praying that her companion who is in the afterlife was with her. Her self-loathing at what her student had become came to an end as Big Boss took a step closer to her.

"You and I, Boss? We don't even know what peace is." He said but The Boss wasn't going to have any of that out of her former protégé. Stepping close to his face she looked him in his eye and lightly shook her head.

"I'm sorry but unlike you, I know what peace is. But I have a feeling somehow, someway you'll experience it too. Then you'll understand my will." She said cupping his cheek and shedding another tear, she allowed her hand to linger before Big Boss backed away and touched his cheek.

"I already have, Boss. Outer Heaven is a testament to your will. The Militaires Sans Frontières is a place where soldiers won't be used and abused by anyone. It's a place where soldiers are loyal to themselves, not to any country or ideology. A place where the only identity they bare is given to them by no enemy but the times. Soldiers will know no borders when it comes to living out their purpose defined by the era they currently live in. Your will is being lived out, Boss…I just wish you could be alive to see it." Big Boss said as he clutched his fist firmly believing in his own interpretation of The Boss's will.

All the Boss could do was shake her head and rest her hand on where her heart is and sigh. "Jack…"

Feeling a sudden jolt of pain come by where her heart was she cringed and turned around groaning from the sudden pain.

"Boss?" he asked as he approached her but was waved away.

She looked down at her watch, seeing her reflection in the dial. The Boss watched as her blue eyes shifted from blue to yellow for a split second. _'I don't have much time left…damned this persistent bitch. Alright, I'll give Jack your message…but we'll see if he can read behind the lines. You will get yours Ultimecia…your kind always does.' _The Boss thought to herself watching her eye color return to its natural blue state as well as feeling the pain in her chest subside. Regaining her composure she turned around to face Big Boss and put her hand up.

"I'm fine but listen to me; I don't have much time left. You need to trust me on this, before Tselinoyarsk for ten years we lived and died together. I loved you, I trained you, I've given you everything…I even gave you my life. You need to put everything that you feel skeptical about seeing me once more…being in a place like this, all of that. You need to put it all aside and heed my warning. Don't look at me as your former mentor right now Jack…I need you to look at me as a woman…who loved you as a son, who wants nothing but good for you. Who wants to see you succeed and live your life. I want you to see me as a woman who wants you to finally find peace not just for the world…" she paused as she shuffled closer to him and plant her hand on top of his forehead where that bandana he once wore used to rest and smile. "…but to find peace within yourself. You already did that by finally ending your search for the truth behind my defection but also allowing yourself to finally be called Big Boss. Can you do that for me, Jack?"

Big Boss let her words sink in. For the first time, a feeling surged within his body that he couldn't explain. It was something he hasn't felt in a long time. It was as if he felt the feeling of being alive again. Not just feeling alive by being in the heat of battle, but the pure feeling of life saturating every part of his body. Ever since the day he killed the woman standing in front of him with tears in her eyes he was already dead. Even if it's for this brief moment, he could truly feel what it's like to be alive. Was this the peace that she put her gun down for? He'll never know but for now it's best just to live in the moment and take it for what it is.

Taking a deep breath he nodded his head and looked her in those blue eyes of hers. "I will."

The Boss backed up wiped her cheeks clean from her tears. Not allowing another motherly moment come between what she was sent here to do she took a deep breath and now decided to give her protégé the message.

"Jack you need to know this…you aren't in the Carribean seas anymore. You are no longer in a world you once knew." The Boss said watching her protégé taking in her message. "In this world there is a new enemy you must watch out for. They are highly skilled, capable and they utilize tactics that are out of this world. I know you will find your way around this and defeat them if they stand against you. In this day and age, there is a higher power lurking trying to free itself from their captivating grasp and become one with this world and time. But that power can't do it if these forces stand against it. They are a mercenary faction called SeeD. They want nothing but the worst for mankind. You need to become a knight…I am not joking when I say this. You need to become a knight and rise up against SeeD when they rear their ugly head." The Boss said feeling nothing but contempt in her words, it was almost the same exact feeling she had when she told him that she was defecting to the Soviet Union.

"How will I know when I find them?" Big Boss asked.

"You will know. Also, to find more Intel about becoming a knight to stand against the SeeD threat, look for a man in a white coat and a red cross on his arm. He will guide you in the right path."

"A man with a white coat huh…red cross on his arm…" Big Boss said repeating his mentor's words to remember these crucial words. It was then he could vaguely hear voices of men yelling out 'Boss'. Were they talking about his mentor or him? He saw the blond in front of him who also heard the name calling turning around she started to walk away.

"Looks like my time is up…"

"Boss! Boss wait!" he said as he extended his arm tried to reach out to grab her but she was already out of his reach. The last word that she uttered out of her mouth before he woke up from this world was this.

"The spirit of the warrior…will always be with you." The Boss said mirroring her companion's words so he could know that he will not be alone.

* * *

"Boss! Goddamn it, where the hell are you?!" the desperate cries of Big Boss's second-in-command Kazuhira Miller would ring out all over the offshore plant.

Mother Base was a mess at this state right now since the entire hexagonal offshore plant landed on the coast of these unknown seas. Trucks and Humvees were sprawled all over the deck. Rubble from some of the buildings that were destroyed with the monsters attacks was scattered around burying some the staff. The only two that were up and about, cut and bruised but still kicking was Kaz and Amanda. Amanda was seen digging through some of debris looking for their commander while Kaz was checking under Humvees and trucks to see if he was underneath any of them.

"Miller! I found his weapon." Amanda said as she tossed the M16A1 over to Kaz's open arms.

Catching it he looked at it gripping the buttstock and handguard tightly to the point he could feel the edges pinching his palms. "We have to find him…"

"Do you think he fell overboard?" Amanda said jumping off of a heap of debris. Upon landing she dusted some dirt and grime off of her face and pants, looking back up at Kaz who was clearly worried about his partner in crime but also his friend. Just because you can't see into his eyes because of those sunglasses he always wears, just the fact that he's gripping an M16 so tight that his hands were bleeding suggests this all together. Creeping close to him she rested her hand on his shoulder to console him.

Kaz shook his head and looked over at Amanda with that same resolve he always wore proudly. "Not a chance."

Kaz loosened his grip on Big Boss's rifle and continued his search now looking through a pile of debris next to Amanda. "Damn it, Boss! I know you're here! Stop fucking around." He yelled out as he tossed bloodied rocks to the side searching desperately for Big Boss.

"SNAKE!" Kaz screamed out but without a doubt his pleas were answered with a fist punching one of the rocks that was underneath Kaz.

"Ugh…Kaz…is that you?" Big Boss muttered as he weakly nudged his other arm through the cracks and forced the other rocks away.

With a toothy grin, Kaz was more than obliged alongside Amanda to help dig Big Boss out. All he had luckily as well was a couple of scratches and bruises. Big Boss grabbed onto both Kaz and Amanda to lift him out of the whole and shake some sense back.

"Who turned off the sun?" Big Boss asked as he looked up at the foggy skies and got a good look around at the status of Mother Base. "How long have I been out?"

Kaz shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. "Beats me, Boss…our watches aren't working. We've been looking for you for maybe…twenty minutes?"

Big Boss nodded and looked at his bloodied hands and then back at Kaz. "Alright, I'll bite. Where's Chico?"

"He should be with the non-combatants at the R&D hanger. Miller and I wanted to find you first before we went off to find Chico and everyone else." She said as she rubbed her arm and looked away.

Big Boss knew Amanda pretty well since he got her to join MSF, it's only recently she stopped thinking of Chico like a baby brother and more so like a fellow soldier. Regardless of that, she will always worry about Chico and of all people, he could understand that. Kaz nudged the Nicaraguan Joan of arc with his forearm so he wouldn't get his blood on her and gave her a reassuring smile.

"Amanda, you're cute when you worry. But trust in the kiddo, he'll be fine. As soon as we get a little SITREP going on here so we know where we stand, we can go find Chico. Who knows, kid might beat us to the punch and find us first." Kaz said with an unseen wink.

Amanda didn't say anything but continue to avert her gaze from the two men to hide her cheeks from heating up.

Big Boss wanted to chuckle at this but he took the time to walk over to the edge of the deck where the gate kept the trio from falling overboard. Grabbing onto to the gate he'd look out to the coast seeing nothing but fog and maybe a glimpse of land nearby. Kaz and Amanda followed suit and stood by Big Boss's left and right side to watch the scenery.

"So where do you think we are?" Amanda asked as she crossed her arms under her breasts.

Kaz stretched out and rested his hands behind his head licking his lips trying to figure out that mystery himself. "Don't know…but I'll tell ya one thing though. We sure as hell ain't in Kansas anymore."

"Miller…we were on the coast of Costa Rica. Where do you get Kansas from? Where the hell is Kansas anyways?" Amanda turned to look at the sunglasses wearing blond with a skeptical look present on her features.

"It was a joke."

"Kaz, remember I told you that if something does come to mind that you'd be the first to know?" Big Boss asked as he pulled out a cigar from his cargo pocket. Thanking himself inwardly that none of his smokes were crushed by the debris he was buried under.

"I might recall." He said as he turned around with Amanda joining him curious about what the two were talking about.

Big Boss took a deep breath and closed his eyes remembering the eerie out of body experience he had where he was back in Tselinoyarsk speaking with his dead mentor. Warning him of a world that is no longer theirs, a phantom enemy force by the name of SeeD, and the calling to become a knight? The Boss's warnings were coming to life, if they were going to do a SITREP it would be a good idea to bring this idea to the table. Could be worse, at least The Boss didn't warn them of any Vampires coming to life plaguing the world or that Santa Claus wouldn't be able to make his connections with NORAD to bring him presents. Putting his Cuban cigar to his lips he lit up and took in its flavor before blowing out the smoke.

"Well we got a lot to talk about so get comfortable." Big Boss said as he opened his eyes with the image of The Boss solemn expression burned in his mind.

* * *

Inside the fortified hanger of Mother Base research and development team was nothing short of a chaotic disaster. Did it look better than outside? Yes. Was it safer inside? Yes but that was beside the point. The pressure was on as the lives of essential non-combatant personnel were now in the hands of two men or rather a man and a teenager. The young thirteen year old child soldier of MSF and the Sandinistas was Chico who was partnered up with one of MSF's best field medics in the unit who commonly went by his codename Hawk. The two had just finished clearing the lab of the remainder of the freaks of nature that attacked Mother Base and were now catching their breath.

Chico sat on desk with his cammie cover on the ground reloading a magazine while Hawk was treating himself from a burn he got when one the monsters hit a pipe and some of the steam hit his arm. The teenager looked up at the medic with a concerned but curious look in those big brown eyes of his.

"You think it's safe to go back and check on the rest?" he asked.

Hawk multi-tasking he'd wrap his burn after he put ointment on it with some gauze and bandages he'd answer him with a shrug. "It should. I haven't seen any more of those freaks…it's actually pretty quiet right now."

Chico nodded at this and hopped off of the desk. Loading his fresh magazine into his AK-47 he'd pull the charging handle back and bend over to pick up his cover. Dusting it off he'd put it back on the crown of his head and turn the brim sideways. "Then what are we waiting for?"

Hawk put all of his supplies back into his bag and picked up his weapon. Watching Chico jog over to the entrance of the lab he'd sigh and follow suit. He knows why he's trying so hard right now, trying to feign being tough right now. Ever since that girl Paz betrayed MSF revealing herself to be an agent of some mysterious organization that they all come to know as Cipher, Chico hasn't been the same since. He's carried that guilt with him since cause he could have stopped her before she hijacked MSF's deterrent, Metal Gear ZEKE and used it against Big Boss. Hawk would know of Chico's current state since then he's acted as a therapist for him, orders of Big Boss but somewhat to his own accord as well.

As Chico took point clearing the hallways with that trusty Kalashnikov rifle of his, Hawk covered his six. They planted themselves against the corner of a wall and before Chico went off, Hawk grabbed him by the shoulder. The boy looked over shoulder and shrugged him off.

"What we don't got time to waste Hawk! What is it?" Chico asked looking up at the taller male.

Shaking his head he'd pat him on the shoulder. "Nothing, just wanted you to know that your sister would be proud of you."

Chico said nothing in reply as he turned back around and popped the corner with Hawk behind him as they maneuvered through the halls. He let those words sink in. Why would his sister be proud of him? If it wasn't for him, Paz wouldn't have even gotten as far as she did. How could he be so blind and weak to not see through Paz's lies? Shaking off the weakness and the tear that crept up it's way the two finally approached Metal Gear's hanger where they know everyone is. Hawk walked up to the door and entered the passcode to the door, upon the accurate code punched in he stepped back and watched the doors slide open and the two walked inside.

The hanger was more like a huge warehouse with little labs inside to make sure everything runs like clockwork. Hawk had his eyes locked on one thing though.

"It's not every day I get a look at ZEKE, goddamn…" Hawk said as he looked up at the nightmarish machine that is also MSF's savior at the same time. Metal Gear ZEKE was a towering bipedal war machine that is capable of launching a stealthy nuclear warhead from any type of terrain without being detected. It almost looked mythical as it stood there motionless and locked down by its restraints so the moving of Mother Base didn't ruin or mess up ZEKE at all.

As Hawk continued to stare up at the giant war machine he heard a familiar voice with an unmistakable British accent call out to him.

"You know you can take a picture, it'll last longer." Said the ivory haired tall lanky woman who was seen escorting her fellow scientist who was wheelchair bound.

"That's not very nice, Strangelove. He's just admiring ZEKE's new paint work. Even I get caught staring at him too." Huey Emmerich said as he pushed his glasses back up to the brim of his nose.

"Since when did we decide that ZEKE was going to be a man of all things? I think its ferocity should clearly be matched as a woman." Dr. Strangelove said as she let go of Huey's wheelchair's handles and pulled out a can of snuff.

The shaggy haired paraplegic shook his head and shrugged his shoulders at this. "It could be whatever you want it to be really."

"When are you going to grow a bloody backbone, Huey? If you expect me to take you seriously start growing a pair."

Hawk shook his head and walked over to the two scientists. "I see you two are handling this pretty well. Where's Chico?"

Strangelove dabbed some of the snuff onto her knuckle and sniffed it all. Rubbing the bottom of her nose she pointed at the door behind them. "He's inside checking on everyone else. Primarily on frenchie in there, that womanizing wanker Miller told him that if his Parisienne got hurt he'd have to field day every strut for a week."

Hawk scratched the back of his head at this knowing Strangelove was talking about Cecile. It wasn't a secret that Kaz had the hots for the blonde French woman. Kaz would sometimes volunteer to go to the Mess Hall team to work with Cecile even when they could handle it and weren't short on cooks. He may be a womanizer and flirt with multiple women on the base to the point that Big Boss himself beat his ass when his two timing got in the way of work. It almost reminds the medic how silly the men in charge of us can really be.

"Can he do that?" Hawk asked.

Huey leaned back into his seat and cracked his knuckles inwardly chuckling at Chico's rapid response ignoring everyone and tending directly to Cecile. "I wouldn't put it past him. She is pretty cute."

Strangelove's cheeks blushed at the thought of Cecile and nodded along with him. "That she is."

Hawk eyed the two and this further reinforced his theory on how silly some of the people here can be. But this was quickly dropped when something caught his attention. "Huh," the medic looked over Huey's shoulder at the window. From where they were, Hawk had a clear eye at the runway and noticed a strange red aircraft that wasn't there before. "The hell?"

At that very second, the alarm rang out. The emotionless robotic voice of Mother Base's automated security system spoke on the loudspeakers throughout the offshore plant. "INTRUDER ALERT! INTRUDER ALERT!"

_X—Devil May Cry._


End file.
